Body Language Expert Observed Prince Harry Looking ‘Frustrated’ With Meghan as She ‘Stole’ the Airtime During Their New York Appearance
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the Project Healthy Minds second-annual World Mental Health Day Festival at Hudson Yards in New York City.
On Oct. 11, the two joined a panel of speakers onstage at the event. A body language expert who analyzed their appearance noticed the Duke of Sussex looking “frustrated” and like “someone stole his sweets” over something his wife did. Here’s more on that, plus what the expert believes Meghan is “struggling” with now.
Prince Harry appeared ‘frustrated’ having to ‘share airtime’ with Meghan during conference
Darren Stanton is a body language and behavioral expert with a degree in psychology. He previously worked as a police officer and used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects. He later moved into media and TV as a consultant and has been dubbed the “Human Lie Detector.” Stanton has also analyzed the body language of several members of the royal family over the years. Now, he’s discussing what he saw between the prince and former Suits star when they were onstage during the event.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Stanton said that Prince Harry appeared “frustrated” and Meghan was “struggling to find a purpose.”
He explained: “I feel there are two sides to Harry. When he’s on his own like at the Invictus Games he is incredibly relaxed, his shoulders will be down, and he smiles a great deal. You can see a degree of calmness. When he speaks to the press on his own he’s incredibly passionate and authentic. He comes over really well and gets lots of applause.
“It seems that when Meghan is with him he does have a dramatic shift in emotions in terms of how he comes over. We can see in a number of photos from the New York conference that she’s beaming. She’s got a big smile on, but he’s looking like someone stole his sweets.”
The expert added: “His eyebrows are down and pulled together, displaying frustration and anger, and you think ‘Why is Meghan displaying joy and happiness and he’s not?’ I think the fundamental reason is that she struggles at the moment to find a purpose so she almost tags onto Harry’s coattails. And I think he finds it frustrating because he’s trying to achieve certain things, but with her there, his message gets diluted. It’s almost like having to share airtime, even though it’s his wife.”
Expert notices tension when Harry has to ‘relinquish his power’ to Meghan
Stanton also claimed that while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were “juxtaposed” in emotional states, they “clearly love each other.”
According to the body language guru, “There’s a little bit of tension from Harry that when Meghan turns up he has to relinquish his power to her. There are a couple of nice shots at the media wall where he’s looking at the camera and she’s looking up at him adoringly. It does look authentic and it’s clear they love each other. But we do see a degree of frustration and angst coming from Harry when Meghan is around. We’ve got this juxtaposition in emotional states. I think Meghan is constantly on transmit, constantly in media mode, whereas Harry’s not.
“Meghan is more accustomed to the media and knows when to mask her true emotions. For instance, her smile can seem disingenuous in images. There’s no crow’s feet at the side of Meghan’s eyes, and her whole face is not engaged. Harry isn’t as conscious of this, therefore, when Harry is smiling we can see that authenticity shining through.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
